**Al-Ittihad rolls into Dammam as heavy favorites, but Al-Ettifaq's draw-heavy form means this could be tighter than the xG suggests.** 🔥

Al-Ettifaq have picked up 2 wins in their last 5 but leaked goals in their last two (1-1 draw vs Al-Khaleej, 3-3 thriller vs Al-Qadsiah). Al-Ittihad are the clear form side — 3 wins from their last 5 — though that shock 2-3 loss to Al-Hilal shows they're not untouchable. Head-to-head tells the full story: **Ittihad lead 15-7 lifetime**.

Key storylines:

- **Al-Ittihad's attacking trio** of Bergwijn, Aouar, and En-Nesyri should terrorize a Al-Ettifaq backline missing two defensive pieces
- **Al-Ettifaq's set-piece threat** — Hendry and Madu are aerial targets; Ittihad's D will need to stay sharp
- **Lopy-Ríos midfield** tasked with controlling tempo against a compact Al-Ettifaq press

Expected lineups:

- **Al-Ettifaq**: T. B. Al-Jawsh, Khateeb, Hendry, Madu, Al-Oteibi, Duda, Celina, Kanté, Larsson, Shammari, Dembélé
- **Al-Ittihad**: Rajković, Faris, Pereira, Simić, Al-Julaydan, Lopy, Ríos, Bergwijn, Aouar, Al-Ghamdi, En-Nesyri

Prediction:

**Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Ettifaq**. Ittihad have the edge in quality and recent form, but Al-Ettifaq's scrap-and-draw streak means they won't fold quietly. 📊